Israel hits Syrian targets in Golan Heights

Here is a round-up of global news developments:

• Syria has accused certain regional countries of supporting terrorist groups fighting against government forces in the country. Syria’s envoy to the UN, Bashar Ja’afari, said terrorist groups, backed by Turkey, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, ruined monuments and broke up factories in Syria.
   
• The UN aid chief has hailed Russia’s proposal for a ceasefire in the Syrian city of Aleppo, saying the world body is ready to deliver aid to the people trapped in the flashpoint city. Stephen O'Brien, however, urged the warring sides to commit to the 48 hour humanitarian truce.
   
• The Israeli military has conducted an air strike pounding positions belonging to the Syrian army in the Golan Heights region. The Israeli army claims the attack was in response to stray fire that landed in the occupied Golan Heights. No injuries have been reported.
   
• Turkey has strongly denounced Israel’s latest blitz on the Gaza Strip in response to an alleged rocket fire from the besieged enclave. Israel has however rejected Turkey’s criticism as quote baseless. The dispute comes days after the Turkish parliament approved an agreement to normalize diplomatic ties with Israel.
   
• A group campaigning for stricter arms sales controls, accuses major world powers including the US of breaking international law by selling huge quantities of weapons to Saudi Arabia amid rising civilian casualties. Meanwhile, a number of senior US Congressmen slammed the White House for supporting the deadly Saudi war on Yemen.
   
• North Korea has threatened to launch a preemptive nuclear strike in the face of the ongoing joint military drills between South Korea and the United States. Pyongyang says it is ready to mount an attack at what it called all enemy combat groups. It described the drills as preparations for invasion.
   
• Pakistan forces a large number of Afghan refugees to leave the country, accusing them of harboring terrorists in their camps. Opposition parties have criticized the decision. They say refugees should be allowed to stay in Pakistan until peace is restored in Afghanistan. Pakistan has been home to millions of Afghan refugees for decades.
   
• Italy, France and Germany have pledged to work together to overcome enormous challenges the European Union is facing in the wake of Britain’s vote to leave the bloc. The 3 leaders made the comments during a meeting in Italy which was held to discuss the impacts of the Brexit.

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